You never forget your first: Yankees players talk to Newsday about memories of their 1st MLB home run

CHICAGO — Ali Sanchez hit his first career home run in the Yankees’ 9-5 victory over the White Sox on Monday night — a three-run shot in the eighth inning — and characterized his subsequent trip around the bases as “living the dream.”

Particularly growing up, as the backup catcher did, as a Yankees fan, in Sanchez’s case in Venezuela.

“You always dream to play in the big leagues,” Sanchez said. “And having your first homer with a Yankees uniform and getting the ‘W’ is special.”

Sanchez’s teammates awarded the 29-year-old, who made his big-league debut in 2020, the championship belt distributed in the clubhouse by players after every Yankees victory.

Indeed, those teammates were almost as excited for the catcher as he was at the achievement.

Because on the short list of things every big-leaguer remembers in vivid detail, it’s their first homer in the majors, something Newsday explored with a handful of Yankees in recent days.

“I remember it flying up into the sky and just putting my head down and running,” Aaron Judge said of the first of his 385 career homers, a towering shot to center off righthander Matt Andriese of the Rays on Aug. 13, 2016, at Yankee Stadium, the ball landing in the netting overhanging Monument Park. “I really didn’t know if it was out and then I see it land in Monument Park. I vividly remember the trajectory of it. Pretty crazy.”

Judge, who clobbered a 1-and-2 Andriese changeup 446 feet for his homer, nodded when Sanchez’s comments about his homer were relayed to him.

“You dream about it for years in your backyard, for years on the Little League field and now you’re actually doing it on the biggest stage,” Judge said. “It’s an emotional thing. It’s kind of a surreal thing. It’s almost just an out of body experience. I don’t know how Ali felt, but I was floating around the bases. I didn’t even know I hit it out, I didn’t even feel it touch the bat. It’s just kind of a whirlwind. A lot of emotions go through your head.”

For Ryan McMahon, the first of his 153 career homers came on June 14, 2018, in Philadelphia as a member of the Rockies. It was an eighth-inning blast off . . .

“Hector Neris. Righty,” McMahon said with a wide smile of the 1-and-1 pitch he hit into the bushes in centerfield at Citizens Bank Park.

“Remember it was a splitter right down the middle. Felt really good off the bat, but wasn’t sure I got it because I hadn’t hit a homer in a big-league stadium, so I ran hard to first and then found out it was out.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has hit 124 career homers, with No. 1 coming on Sept. 9, 2020, in Atlanta while a member of the Marlins. Chisholm hit a 2-and-1 pitch to right-center off Atlanta lefty Tommy Milone.

“Landed in the [Atlanta] bullpen. A curveball. I remember it coming out of his hand,” Chisholm said before laughing. “I pimped it off the bat. I thought it was going way further but it didn’t. It was a wall-scraper.”

Chisholm’s milestone first homer came in unusual circumstances as it was during the COVID-19-shortened 60-game season, one that was contested in ballparks with no fans, piped-in crowd noise instead providing the soundtrack.

“I think it did [take something away from it] because I feel like it wasn’t that exciting,” Chisholm said. “It was silent. It felt like we were playing practice baseball. It felt like a backfield big-league scrimmage game [during spring training].”

The first of the 126 homers manager Aaron Boone hit across his 12 years in the majors came on Aug. 26, 1998, at Cincinnati’s Cinergy Field while a member of the Reds against the Cubs.

He hit a first-pitch fastball off . . .

“Kerry Wood. Second inning,” Boone said with a smile in cutting off the question. “Straightaway center. I didn’t hit a lot of homers to straightaway center. Fastball in. Got it.”

Boone sounded like his players, and pretty much every player, past or currently active, in describing that particular “first” in their careers. “It’s one of those further realizations of a dream,” Boone said.

“Getting drafted, getting to the major leagues, getting your first hit, hitting your first home runs. Those are like, ‘Wow, I’m really doing this.’ ”

Chisholm, even in lamenting zero fans being in the ballpark for his first career homer, couldn’t help but continue beaming in talking about it.

“I just feel like we all remember how it felt,” Chisholm said. “That first one is . . . it’s magical. Rounding the bases for the first time, it’s a blackout moment. You don’t forget it.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.